On Loving Yourself (Properly)

We've all heard about the importance of self-love and taking care of yourself both physically and mentally, but I came across something the other day that put it in a whole new light.

"I've been working on loving myself the way I would love a partner."

This is from a post by Sharlyn Anderson. I came across it through Rachel Del, and now I'm passing the message along to you, because when you think about it, that is exactly how we should love ourselves. Why would we consider it okay for our partner or friend to feel a certain way, but not us? We tell them it's okay to feel sad or it's normal to feel afraid or insecure. Turn the tables and we're shaming ourselves for the same emotions.Why would we accept that a friend does or doesn't do a certain thing, but not let ourselves do the same? A day off for them is necessary and relaxing. For us, lazy and unproductive. We tell our friends they're attractive, smart, kind, funny. Then we put ourselves down.Why do we hold ourselves to standards so much higher than we hold everyone else?

Love yourself the way you would love a partner.
Gently. Kindly. Fairly.

For me, loving myself the way I'd love a partner means not berating myself when I veer off track. Not agonizing over taking a day (or two or four) off from the gym. Eating well, but enjoying junk sometimes too. Staying on top of my responsibilities. Acknowledging when I need some time off. Ultimately, letting myself be human.

Let's change the way we treat ourselves. Let's, as Sharlyn put it, make better choices for ourselves out of love instead of judgment. Let's start loving ourselves – properly.